Getting Started with Vibecoding

Vibecoding is a new approach to building software. Instead of writing every line of code yourself, you collaborate with AI—describing what you want, iterating on the output, and using your judgment to shape the result.

It’s not about replacing developers. It’s about augmenting creativity and lowering the barrier to building things.

What is Vibecoding?

The term emerged organically in the developer community to describe a specific workflow:

1. Describe your intent — Tell the AI what you want to build in natural language
2. Review the output — Look at what the AI generates
3. Iterate — Refine your description, ask for changes, or adjust manually
4. Repeat — Continue until you have what you need

The “vibe” part comes from the intuitive, conversational nature of this process. You’re not writing precise specifications—you’re vibing with the AI, exploring possibilities together.

Why Vibecoding Works

Traditional programming requires you to:

• Know the syntax of a language
• Understand APIs and frameworks
• Remember (or look up) function signatures
• Debug arcane error messages

Vibecoding shifts the burden. The AI handles the syntax. You focus on:

• What you want to build
• Why certain approaches make sense
• When the output is good enough

This doesn’t mean you can ignore how code works. Understanding fundamentals helps you communicate better with the AI and evaluate its output. But the barrier to getting started is much lower.

Your First Vibecoding Session

Let’s walk through a simple example using Claude Code (or any AI coding assistant).

Step 1: Start with intent

Instead of thinking “I need to write a Python function that…”, think:

“I want a script that takes a list of URLs and checks if each one is still alive.”

Step 2: Describe it conversationally

Open your AI assistant and say exactly that:

I want a Python script that takes a list of URLs and checks if each one is still alive. For each URL, it should make an HTTP request and tell me if it returns a 200 status code or something else.

Step 3: Review and iterate

The AI will generate code. Look at it:

• Does it do what you asked?
• Is it handling errors?
• Would you want any additional features?

You might follow up with:

• “Can you add a timeout so it doesn’t hang on slow sites?”
• “Make it output the results as a CSV”
• “Add parallel processing to speed it up”

Step 4: Test and adjust

Run the code. See what happens. If something doesn’t work:

• Describe the problem to the AI
• Share any error messages
• Ask for a fix

This back-and-forth is the heart of vibecoding.

Key Principles

1. Be specific about outcomes

Bad: “Make it better” Good: “The output should be sorted by date, newest first”

2. Provide context

Bad: “Add authentication” Good: “Add authentication using JWT tokens. Users will log in with email and password, and we’ll store hashed passwords in PostgreSQL.”

3. Think in iterations

You won’t get everything right on the first try. That’s fine. Each iteration brings you closer to what you want.

4. Trust but verify

AI can write code that looks correct but has subtle bugs. Always test. Always review security-sensitive code carefully.

5. Learn from the output

Pay attention to what the AI generates. You’ll pick up patterns, learn new approaches, and gradually build your own understanding.

Common Vibecoding Patterns

Exploratory building

“Show me three different ways to implement this feature”

Incremental refinement

Start simple, add complexity one piece at a time

Rubber ducking with AI

Explain your problem, ask the AI to help you think through it

Code review

“Review this code and suggest improvements”

Documentation generation

“Write documentation for this module”

When Vibecoding Works Best

• Prototyping: Get a working version fast
• Learning: See how things are done in different languages/frameworks
• Boilerplate: Let AI handle the repetitive setup
• Exploration: Try ideas without heavy investment

When to Be Careful

• Security-critical code: Always review carefully
• Complex algorithms: AI may not optimize perfectly
• Production systems: More testing and review needed
• Novel problems: AI draws from existing patterns

Next Steps

Ready to go deeper? Check out these resources:

• Claude Code Setup Guide — Get your environment ready
• Community — Connect with other vibecoding enthusiasts
• Events — Join a local meetup or workshop

The best way to learn vibecoding is to do it. Pick a small project, open your AI assistant, and start building.

Welcome to the vibes.